Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Cob / monolithic earthen wall construction
Passive · New build only
One of 8 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
Thick walls built up by hand from a mix of clay, sand and straw, layer by layer, with no bricks or moulds. The walls carry the roof and store heat. They use almost nothing bought, but are slow to build and need covering from rain while they dry.
Several hundred years if roof, foundation, and plaster are kept in good condition (documented cob buildings in Devon, UK date from the 14th-19th centuries)
Embodied carbon
Low
Space / material use
High
Output timing
None
Skill to repair
Basic
Regulation (FR example)
Part of the structure or footprint: covered by the building permit (permis de construire) for a new dwelling. Rural sites are additionally constrained by the commune's PLU zoning, outside a constructible zone, a new dwelling is generally refused.
Inputs
none
Outputs
none
Compare the 8 ways to meet this need
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Cob / monolithic earthen wall construction (This page) Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to shape walls freely by hand, with no bricks or moulds, from the clay on your land.
Light timber frame construction Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to build fast with common timber and ordinary tools, and keep walls easy to move or open later.
Post-and-beam heavy timber frame Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want a frame that lasts for generations and leaves the walls free for straw, earth or another natural infill.
Compressed earth block (CEB) walls Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want earth walls that go up as fast as ordinary masonry, with regular blocks.
Rammed earth (pise) wall construction Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the densest, hardest earth wall, rammed in place.
Adobe / mudbrick walls Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to make your own bricks from your own ground, ahead of building, at almost no cost.
Superadobe (earthbag construction) Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want earth walls, or even a dome, with almost no formwork and no timber.
GREB straw wall technique Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want one wall that is structure, insulation and finish at once.
Sources
Rammed earth/cob/CEB/adobe durability literature (ScienceDirect 20-yr rammed-earth weathering study; This Cob House; Colorado Earth FAQ)
Limitations of this page
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.